Principal 3D Modeler, Innovation Concepts

Job Description: Principal 3D Modeler – Performance Footwear

Location: Denver, CO
Department: Enterprise Innovation
Reports To: VP Enterprise Innovation
FLSA: Exempt

About the Role

The Principal 3D Modeler for Performance Footwear is a senior individual contributor and hands-on digital craft expert who supports multiple footwear teams and programs. This role translates design intent into world-class 3D assets—accelerating concept development, improving decision-making, and enabling manufacturable outcomes across multiple product lines and seasons.

This role is for an elite 3D footwear specialist with exceptional surfacing, proportion, and construction knowledge—someone who can jump into high-priority work quickly, collaborate seamlessly with designers and developers, and deliver refined geometry and clear handoffs under tight timelines. You’ll flex across product types (training, race/elite, outdoor/indoor, recovery, and lifestyle-performance hybrids) and partner with teams to solve the hardest modeling problems.

Key Responsibilities

Hands-On 3D Modeling Excellence

• Deliver best-in-class footwear 3D models (tooling, upper, outsole, midsole, components) with exceptional surfacing, line quality, and model organization.

• Own end-to-end 3D execution for priority concept and seasonal programs, ensuring speed, accuracy, and consistency from early exploration through development-ready handoff.

• Identify and resolve surfacing and build issues early (part breaks, continuity, thickness/clearance assumptions, pattern readiness, manufacturability signals), reducing rework and protecting design intent.

• Enable clear, fast decisions by delivering render-ready models and buildable geometry, and by communicating feasibility, tradeoffs, and options to designers, developers, and technical partners.

Category Breadth & Concept Modeling

• Create high-quality concept models across a broad range of performance footwear types, rapidly exploring proportions, tooling volumes, part architecture, and construction approaches.

• Translate 2D sketches, paintovers, and reference into precise 3D geometry—capturing design intent in surfacing, line quality, part breaks, and functional details.

• Deliver clean files and visuals (CAD exports, render meshes, section cuts, and build notes) that support reviews, prototyping, costing, and downstream development.

Digital-to-Physical Pipeline & Manufacturability

• Own 3D workflows that connect concept modeling to prototyping and development (SLA/SLS prints, CNC, tooling models, last/fit references), ensuring models are production-aware from the start.

• Partner with design, development, engineering, materials, and manufacturing to resolve complex constraints (tooling, mold splits, drafts, clearances, assembly) while preserving design intent.

• Create development-ready CAD packages (key dimensions, sections, part breaks, construction callouts, and revision notes) that reduce ambiguity and increase first-time-right execution.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support multiple teams as a hands-on 3D expert—partnering with designers to elevate form, proportion, and detail through exceptional digital craft.

• Coach and support other modelers/designers as needed on surfacing technique, CAD hygiene, and efficient iteration—primarily through working sessions and in-context feedback.

• Increase throughput across multiple programs by jumping into the highest-impact modeling needs—unblocking teams with rapid iterations, clean geometry, and reliable handoffs.

Execution & Communication

• Lead 3D modeling reviews and working sessions—ensuring clarity on intent, constraints, and next steps across designers, developers, and external partners.

• Maintain model integrity through iteration by managing versions, change notes, and downstream-ready exports (engineering, rendering, prototyping), preventing drift and rework.

• Create clear, lightweight handoff documentation (build notes, sections, key dimensions, export settings, revision summaries) so partners can move fast with minimal ambiguity.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, Biomechanics, or related field.

• 10–15+ years of experience in footwear 3D modeling/surfacing, product design, or related digital craft roles, with a portfolio spanning multiple performance footwear types and construction methods.

• Proven track record enabling shipped products by translating design intent into accurate, manufacturable geometry and clean handoffs that reduce iteration cycles and improve build quality.

• Expert-level 3D surfacing and CAD (e.g., Rhino, Alias, ICEM, SolidWorks, Fusion) plus strong visualization/export workflows (KeyShot/Blender/C4D or equivalent) and file interoperability.

• Strong understanding of footwear construction, tooling considerations, and digital-to-physical prototyping methods (prints, CNC, sample build support).

• Demonstrated ability to lead through craft and partnership—guiding feasibility decisions, unblocking teams, and providing mentorship through hands-on collaboration.

• Experience collaborating with engineering, sports science, material development, and athlete testing teams.

Preferred

• Deep footwear surfacing expertise (A-class or near A-class), including complex parting lines, blends, transitions, and refined line quality.

• Experience creating tooling-aware CAD (draft, shutoffs, thickness assumptions) and collaborating with factories/toolmakers to land intent with minimal back-and-forth.

• Strength in building reusable construction libraries and parametric components that improve speed and consistency across multiple programs.

• Comfort working in ambiguous concept phases while still producing clean, structured geometry that can be reused, iterated, and handed off downstream.

Success Criteria

• Consistently delivers exceptional 3D footwear models that elevate design quality and enable faster, higher-confidence decisions across multiple product lines.

• Reliably unblocks multiple teams by taking on the highest-complexity modeling tasks and delivering clean, buildable geometry with fast iteration cycles.

• Creates sustained momentum across complex programs by making the work easier to build—clarifying geometry, constraints, and handoffs for design, development, and manufacturing partners.

• Raises the craft level of the team through mentorship, reviews, and exemplars of elite surfacing and CAD hygiene.

Why This Role Matters

The Principal 3D Modeler accelerates performance footwear creation by turning design intent into accurate, refined, and buildable digital assets across multiple teams. By jumping into critical work, solving complex geometry challenges, and enabling clear handoffs, this role reduces friction from concept through manufacturing and elevates product quality season after season.

Role Comparison: Senior vs Principal 3D Modeler (Performance Footwear)

Dimension

Senior 3D Modeler

Principal 3D Modeler

Primary scope

Leads complex modeling for assigned programs; delivers clean concept and development models for handoff.

Acts as the go-to hands-on expert across multiple teams; takes on the hardest modeling work and supports several programs in parallel.

Strategy ownership

Contributes to workflow improvements; applies established standards and escalates gaps.

Improves workflows in practice through exemplars, working sessions, and reusable starting points; may contribute templates/libraries where they materially increase speed and quality.

Decision rights

Recommends build approaches and surfacing solutions; flags risks (tooling, assembly, deadlines) to leadership/partners.

Sets the quality bar and makes high-judgment calls on geometry, feasibility, and handoff readiness; drives alignment on tradeoffs across teams.

Technical leadership

Executes advanced surfacing/CAD and supports prototyping and development needs for assigned projects.

Leads the most complex modeling challenges (tooling-aware surfacing, part architecture, export pipelines); sets best practices for manufacturability and interoperability.

Cross-functional influence

Partners with designers and developers within a program team to deliver models on time.

Supports and aligns multiple teams by clarifying feasibility, geometry, and handoff readiness; collaborates across functions to resolve constraints quickly.

Mentorship

Mentors junior modelers/designers on tools, surfacing fundamentals, and file hygiene.

Mentors across levels; creates training, templates, and libraries that scale capability and consistency.

Outputs

Clean concept and development models, CAD exports, sections, and build notes for specific programs.

Decision-ready models, clean CAD exports, sections, and build notes that enable multiple programs to move faster with fewer iterations.

Experience (typical)

~6–10+ years in footwear/product 3D modeling with strong surfacing and collaboration skills.

~10–15+ years with sustained excellence in footwear surfacing/CAD and org-level influence on standards and workflows.

Hiring Range:

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at peopleservices@vfc.com. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.